Found Deceased CA - Blaze Bernstein, 19, Lake Forest, 2 Jan 2018 #3

[Whiteorchids]

As a former LEO I see a likely arrest coming tomorrow am in regards to the friend who picked the victim up. I’m sure this individual is under heavy surveillance as LE is likely hoping to find that last piece of “slam dunk” evidence they would like but don’t need.

Yes that's exactly what I posted earlier almost word for word. My husband is retired OC LE of 30yrs. You must think alike. [emoji1317]

 

[Nancy2441]

For those out of the OC area...OCSD has contracts with MOST of the cities in OC to provide police services. However there are a few cities that have their own police departments. Like Laguna Beach and Newport Beach. I think there are a few others. If an arrest were to be made that info would be on the OCSD web site.

 

[andalso]

What exactly did the driver 'friend' expect to find at 4am back at the park? Was he expecting Blaze to be just waiting for him? At that point, wouldn't driver 'friend' have just assumed Blaze had gone home (via foot or Uber or otherwise?)

This feels more like a return to the scene of the crime, IMO.

 

[Whiteorchids]

For those out of the OC area...OCSD has contracts with MOST of the cities in OC. However there are a few cities that have their own police departments. Like Laguna Beach and Newport Beach. I think there are a few others. If an arrest were to be made that info would be on the OCSD web site.

Correct but without a name we can't check the OC jail inmate locator

 

[Nancy2441]

Correct but without a name we can't check the OC jail inmate locator

That’s right you would have to have a name to do an inmate search.

 

[Midge Montana]

Praying for a confession, now that the body has been found.

@miamid3003, glad to have you and your experience here. Tell me, in regards to my sentence above, in your experience do you think that finding the body often leads to a confession that you truly feel wouldn't have happened without it?

 

[miamid3003]

Absolutely. I’ve seen a few of these myself and all signs typically point toward the individual last seen with the victim. They know much more than what has been released to the public. God bless your family.

 

[Bopking]

BBM. And if that happened, what is that friend to do. He can't alert Blaze's parents very well, can he? Can't easily go to the cops - and say what? If that scenario is what happened, that poor kid was really in a bad spot. They didn't think things through very well IMO.

I basically wrote this same theory, I think it is thread 2. The friend/driver is either incredibly unlucky or likely involved in the crime.

If the friend/driver was not involved we have to remember he probably never would have imagined that Blaze was killed. Most kids that age sleep a lot in their free time. College kids dont get a lot of sleep during the school year. Friend/driver could have assumed Blaze was too busy or sleeping.

 

[Ava_TO]

Completely gut-wrenching to see this... I know, from experience, that one of the most difficult things you face when losing someone you love more than anything in this world, is the thought that your loved one will be forgotten. I think I can speak for most of us when i say that Blaze took hold of a piece of our hearts... maybe it was the sparkle in his eye... his impish grin... but there was something. To his family and friends, I wish you so much comfort and peace... and rest assured that Blaze will not ever be forgotten...

 

[freebird2018]

but a good friend would still swing by because no answer to calls and "where are you dude"?? the polce have all the texts so all is just conjecture and typing on my part..

 

[gitana1]

Not at all abnormal for parents to have tracking on their kids phones. I do. I don't always use it but it is helpful.

It's a different world today. Young adults have little privacy. Great in a natural diasater sotuation but otherwise I haven't seen it help find one missing young person.

 

[JBFletch]

Actually the drug thing makes sense to me. If the driver was in fear for his life and was not a good friend of Blaze, he may very well have high tailed it out of there if he saw someone chasing Blaze... He didn't want to be next. Also kinda fits with the going back. He went to see if Blaze was hurt or dead, waiting long enough to feel comfortable that the perp was gone.
He also would not want to then tell the truth. Not only could he be afraid of facing charges but seriously afraid of what people would think and say about him just leaving his friend.
In another case I was super close to, there were rumors that almost that same thing happened. The person who had been with the victim was afraid of going to jail for her part, afraid the bad guys would come after her and afraid she would be blamed for the victims death (all rumor in that case)

That's true. Altho the other reason why I have my doubts about a drug deal is that buying drugs is way less... covert(?) these days, IMO. I'm a few years older than BB, and while I'm not big on recreational drug use, I have acquaintances who are. And personally, I can't see any of them agreeing to meet in a deserted park to buy the supply. That would set off all sorts of red flags about the person you're buying from. Maybe a parking lot with open fast food restaurants nearby, but not in a darkly lit park. But drug sales are much more out in the open these days. I personally would never venture into Borrego that late at night (not with all the coyotes and other wild animals in the area), and most people in the area don't either. Which would make it perfect for trying to find a place for a hookup if both you and the person you're meeting can't meet at someone's house.

To me, you'd only meet at the park if you wanted the safety/risk of being completely alone with someone.

 

[Midge Montana]

Re: Driver Friend

How likely, if driver friend was the one who killed BB, would it be for driver friend to pretty much lead the police to the (presumed) scene of the crime and location of the body?
Unless he knew there would be video and phone records so (s)he had no choice but to tell LE they went there.
I don't know. So many things we don't know (as expected) and so many possible scenarios.
I guess this is one of those cases when we just have to wait...

 

[mkepler]

Hello everyone. First post here, so first of all, congratulations for the very informative and tidy discussion. As a private investigator myself, I have a few things to add to the already rich amount of information being discussed in here.
Looking at the Sheriff Blotter that was posted, you can see that starting on the 3rd (The day BB's parents noticed he was missing), there are several calls for "Missing Adult" to the 0 Block of Palazzo Circle. A quick google map search will show it is pretty close to the park where the meeting and subsequent crime has occurred (one mile).
So it is plausible the assumption that BB texted his "friend" (quotes purposely placed) to pick him up at home, and when asked "where should we go?", he pointed the park as a secluded place, not too far away from his house - ideal for a late night encounter of that sort.
That would explain the friend coming from NB needing his address.
I am fairly positive the friend is most likely who has committed the crime, and also have a strong feeling this was a late night encounter arranged in a LGBT app.
Hope this sheds even more light in this forum.

M

 

[miamid3003]

Praying for a confession, now that the body has been found.

@miamid3003, glad to have you and your experience here. Tell me, in regards to my sentence above, in your experience do you think that finding the body often leads to a confession that you truly feel wouldn't have happened without it?

Not always or typically. However, in my experience it depends entirely on the individual involved. Everyone thinks and rationalizes differently. If the friend feels he/she has an out, this may drag a bit. Justice will be served either way.

 

[Rott Mom]

I really thought this young man would have been found alive. I guess I was wrong.

 

[Whiteorchids]

Im curious to know how his life was snuffed out

 

[thesensitivechild]

What if it was Lily who did it since she lives in NB and so does the suspect. And she stopped being an Admin on the Facebook site. Weird

Or a family member she knows.


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[JaimeSommers]

What exactly did the driver 'friend' expect to find at 4am back at the park? Was he expecting Blaze to be just waiting for him? At that point, wouldn't driver 'friend' have just assumed Blaze had gone home (via foot or Uber or otherwise?)

This feels more like a return to the scene of the crime, IMO.

Count me among those suspicious of the person who picked up Blaze at his parents' house. Wondering whether Blaze might have been killed elsewhere, then driven around while the driver tried to decide what to do with the body, then dumped him at the park. It could explain why the dogs didn't pick anything up.

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[anonmon]

According to KTLA 5 News, the family was informed on Wednesday, so they did not know when the father posted on Facebook on Tuesday night.

“The teen's body was found Tuesday around 2 p.m. in brush surrounding the park, officials said. Investigators believe he had been in the park since his disappearance and was likely killed the same night he went missing...Bernstein's body was not positively identified until Wednesday morning, at which point his parents were notified, according to Valentine.”

Link: http://ktla.com/2018/01/10/ivy-leag...-missing-case-being-investigated-as-homicide/